Some of us have written down feveral of her fayings, or what the French call Bon Mots, wherein the excelled almoft beyond belief. She never miftook the understanding of others; nor ever faid a severe word, but where a much feverer was de ferved. Her fervants loved and almoft adored her at the fame time. She would, upon occafions, treat them with freedom, yet her demeanour was fo awful, that they durft not fail in the leaft point of respect. She chid them feldom, but it was with feverity, which had an effect upon them for a long time after. January 29th, My head achs, and I can write no more. This is the night of the funeral, which my fickness will not suffer me to attend. It is now nine at night, and I am removed into another apartment, that I may not fee the light in the church, which is juft over against the window of my bed chamber. • With all the foftness of temper that became a lady, she had the perfonal courage of a hero. She and her friend having removed their lodgings to a new houfe, which ftood folitary, a parcel of rogues, armed, attempted the houfe, where there was only one boy: She was then about four and twenty: and, having been warned to apprehend fome fuch attempt, the learned the management of a piftol; and the other women and fervants being half-dead with fear, fhe ftole foftly to her diningroom window, put on a black hood, to prevent being feen, primed the pistol fresh, gently lifted up the fafh; and, taking her aim with the utmost prefence of mind, difcharged the piftol loaden with the bullets, into the body of one villain, who stood the fairest mark. The fellow, mortally wounded, was carried off by the reft, and died the next morning, but his companions could not be found. The Duke of Ormond hath often drank her health to me upon that account, and had always an high esteem of her. She was indeed under fome apprehenfions of going in a boat, after fome danger fhe had narrowly escaped by water, but he was reafoned thoroughly out of it. She was never known to cry out, or discover any fear, in a coach or on horfeback, or any uneafinefs by thofe fudden accidents with which most of her fex, either by weakness or affectation, appear fo much difordered. She never had the leaft abfence of mind in converfation, nor given to interruption, or appeared eager to put in her word by waiting impatiently until another had done. She spoke in a moft agreeable voice, in the plaineft words, never hesitating, except out of modefty before new faces, where he was fomewhat referved; nor, among her nearest friends, ever spoke much Q3 at at a time. She was but little verfed in the common topics óf female chat; fcandal, cenfure, and detraction, never came out of her mouth: yet, among a few friends, in private converfation, the made little ceremony in difcovering her contempt of a coxcomb, and defcribing all his follies to the life; but the follies of her own fex fhe was rather inclined to extenuate or to pity. When she was once convinced by open facts of any breach of truth or honour, in a perfon of high ftation, especially in the church, he could not conceal her indignation, nor hear them named without fhewing her difpleasure in her countenance; particularly one or two of the latter fort, whom she had known and efteemed, but detested above all mankind, when it was manifest that they had facrificed thofe two precious virtues to their ambition, and would much fooner have forgiven them the common immoralities of the laity. "Her frequent fits of ficknefs, in most parts of her life, had prevented her from making that progrefs in reading which the would otherwife have done. She was well verfed in the Greek and Roman story, and was not unfkilled in that of France and England. She spoke French perfectly, but forgot much of it by neglect and fick nefs. She had read carefully all the beft books of travels, which ferve to open and enlarge the mind. She understood the Platonic and Epicurean philofophy, and judged very well of the defects of the latter. She made very judicious abftracts of the best books fhe had read. She understood the nature of government, and could point out all the errors of Hobbes, both in that and religion. She had a good infight into phyfic, and knew fomewhat of anatomy; in both which he was instructed in her younger days by an eminent phyfician, who had her long under his care, and bore the higheft efteem for her perfon and understanding. She had a true taste of wit and good fenfe, both in poetry and profe, and was a perfect good critic of ftyle: neither was it easy to find a more proper or impartial judge, whofe advice an author might better rely on, if he intended to fend a thing into the world, provided it was on a fubject that came within the compafs of her knowlege. Yet, perhaps, he was fometimes too fevere, which is a fafe and pardonable error. She preferved her wit, judgment, and vivacity to the laft, but often ufed to complain of her memory. ... Her fortune, with fome acceffion; could not, as I have heard fay, amount to much more than two thousand pounds, whereof a great part fell with her life, having been placed upon annuities in England, and one in Ireland. In a perfon fo extraordinary, perhaps it may be pardonable to mention some particulars, although of little moment, further than to fet forth her her character. Some prefents of goldpieces being often made to her while fhe was a girl, by her mother and other friends, on promise to keep them, fhe grew into fuch a fpirit of thrift, that, in about three years, they amounted to above two hundred pounds. She ufed to fhew them with boafting; but her mother, apprehending fhe would be cheated of them, prevailed in fome months, and with great importunities, to have them put out to intereft: when the girl loft the pleasure of seeing and counting her gold, which the never failed of doing many times in a day, and defpaired of heaping up fuch another treasure, her humour took the quite contrary turn: fhe grew careless and fquandering of every new acquifition, and fo continued till about two and twenty; when, by advice of fome friends, and the fright of paying large bills of tradefmen, who enticed her into their debt, the began to reflect upon her own folly, and was never at reft until she had discharged all her fhop-bills, and refunded herself a confiderable fum he had run out. After which, by the addition of a few years and a fuperior understanding, the became, and continued all her life a moft prudent oeconomift; yet ftill with a ftrong bent to the liberal fide, wherein the gratified herself by avoiding all expence in cloaths, (which fhe ever defpifed) beyond what was merely decent. And, although her frequent returns of fickne's were very chargeable, except fees to physicians, of which she met with feveral fo generous that he could force nothing on them, (and indeed the muft otherwise have been undone ;) yet the never was without a confiderable fum of ready money. Infomuch that, upon her death, when her nearest friends thought her very bare, her executors found in her strong box about a hundred and fifty pounds in gold. She lamented the narrowness of her fortune in nothing fo much, as that it did not enable her to entertain her friends fo often, and in so hospitable a manner as the defired. Yet they were always welcome; and, while the was in health to direct, were treated with neatnefs and elegance: fo that the revenues of her and her companion, paffed for much more confiderable than they really were. They lived always in lodgings, their domeftics confifting of two maids and one man." She kept an account of all the family-expences, from her arrival in Ireland to fome months before her death; and the would often repine, when looking back upon the annals of her houfhold bills, that every thing neceffary for life was double the price, while intereft of money was funk almoft to one nalf; fo that the addition made to her fortune was indeed grown abfolutely neceffary. [I fince writ as I found time.] But her charity to the poor was a duty not to be diminished, and therefore became a tax upon those tradefmen who furnith the fopperies of other ladies. She bought cloaths as feldom as poffible, and thofe as plain and cheap as confifted with the fituation fhe was in; and wore no lace for many years. Either her judgment or fortune was extraordinary, in the choice of thofe on whom she bestowed her charity; for it went further in doing good than double the fum from any other hand. And I have heard her fay, fhe always met with gratitude from the poor: which must be owing to her fkill in distinguishing proper objects, as well as her gracious manner in relieving them. But she had another quality that much delighted her, although it may be thought a kind of check upon her bounty; however it was a pleafure fhe could not refift: I mean that of making agreeable prefents, wherein I never knew her equal, although it be an affair of as delicate a nature as moft in the courfe of life. She used to define a prefent, That it was a gift to a friend of fomething he wanted or was fond of, and which. could not be easily gotten for money. I am confident, during my acquaintance with her, fhe hath, in thefe and fome other kinds of liberality, difpofed of to the value of feveral hundred pounds. As to prefents made to herfelf, fhe received them with great unwillingness, but especially from thofe to whom she had ever given any; being on all occafions the most difinterested mortal I ever knew or heard of. From her own difpofition, at least as much as from the frequent want of health, fhe feldom made any vifits; but her own lodgings, from before twenty years old, were frequented by. many perfons of the graver fort, who all refpected her highly, upon her good fenfe, good manners, and converfation. Among thefe were the late Primate Lindfay, Bishop Loyd, Bishop Afhe,Bifhop Brown, Bishop Stern, Bishop Pulleyn, with fome others of later date; and indeed the greatest number of her acquaintance was among the clergy. Honour, truth, liberality, good-nature, and modefty, were the virtues fhe chiefly poffeffed, and moft valued in her acquaintance; and where fhe found them, would be ready to allow for fome defects, nor valued them less, altho' they did not fhine in learning or in wit; but would never give the leaft allowance for any failures in the former, even to those who made the greateft figure in either of the two latter. She had no ufe of any perfon's liberality, yet her deteftation of covetous people made her uneafy if fuch a one was in her company; upon which occafion fhe would fay many things very en-. tertaining and humourous. • She never interrupted any person who fpoke; the laught at no mistakes they made, but helped them out with modefty; and if a good thing were spoken, but neglected, he would not let it fall, but let it in the beft light to thofe who were prefent. She liftened liftened to all that was faid, and had never the leaft distraction, or absence of thought, It was not fafe nor prudent, in her prefence, to offend in the leaft word againft modefty; for the then gave full employment to her wit, her contempt, and refentment, under which even ftupidity and brutality were forced to fink into confufion; and the guilty perfon, by her future avoiding him like a bear or a fatyr, was never in a way to tranfgrefs a fecond time. It happened one fingle coxcomb, of the pert kind, was in her company, among feveral other ladies; and, in his flippant way, began to deliver fome double meanings: the rest fapt their fans, and ufed the other common expedients practifed in fuch cafes, of appearing not to mind or comprehend what was faid. Her behaviour was very different, and perhaps may be cenfured. She faid thus to the man: "Sir, all these ladies and I understand your meaning very well, having, in fpite of our care, too often met with thofe of your fex who wanted manners and good fenfe. But, believe me, neither virtuous nor even vicious women love such kind of conversation. However, I will leave you, and report your behaviour: and, whatever vifit I make, I fhall firft enquire at the door whether you are in the house, that I may be fure to avoid you." I know not whe ther a majority of ladies would approve of fuch a proceeding; but I believe the practice of it would foon put an end to that. corrupt conversation, the worst effect of dulnefs, ignorance, impudence, and vulgarity, and the highest affront to the modesty and understanding of the female sex. . By returning very few vifits, fhe had not much company of her own fex, except those whom the most loved for their eafinefs, or esteemed for their good sense; and thofe, not infifting on ceremony, came often to her. But fhe rather chofe men for her companions, the ufual topics of ladies difcourfe being fuch, as fhe had little knowlege of, and lefs relifh. Yet no man was upon the rack to entertain her, for fhe easily defcended to any thing that was innocent and diverting. News, politics, cenfure, family-management, or town-talk, fhe always diverted to fomething clfe; but thefe indeed feldom happened, for she chose her company better: and therefore many, who mistook her and themselves, having folicited her acquaintance, and finding themfelves difappointed after a few vifits, dropt off; and the was never known to enquire into the reason, or ask what was become of them. She was never pofitive in arguing, and the ufually treated thofe who were so, in a manner which well enough gratified that unhappy difpofition; yet in fuch a fort as made it very contemptible, and at the fame time did some hurt to the owners. Whether this proceeded from her eafinefs in general, or from her in |